Vitalis Jackson

With T. Lee, 3-9 at best. If we had just an average college QB we might go 5-7, because I think the defense will improve. This offense will worsen; there isn't anything to build on there, and nobody's running the show.

Bo was a complete jackass, though, and couldn't recruit a 3rd-team punter. He's a large part of our current problem. The Cornhuskers were considered as a classy place to go before Pelina stunk up the place. It was during the Pelini tenure that we surrendered recruiting to boosters and helicopter dads.

I think Diaco's defense is doing fine, at least they show improvement as they play. The offense is a dumpster fire; if T. Lee remains QB next week I predict a three-win season.

Clearly Northern Illinois had more talent. That's why they won, and that remains the reason why NU loses. Lack of talent, overpaid staff, complacent fan base.

It has nothing at all to do with coaching. It has everything in the world to do with talent and athletes. Coaches should only be evaluated on the athletes they successfully recruit, and that's why coaches need four to five year to develop teams. Pellini was a complete failure in all aspects of his career, and he was a jackass. Our current coach hasn't had sufficient opportunity to fail yet. Let's give him a fair chance to fail.

Quite honestly, Tommy Armstrong probably would have won this game today. And I was no fan of Tommy Armstrong. Time to be honest, coach. Bench Tanner, bring up the next in line for competition.

Quite honestly, Diaco isn't worth the money we paid . . . but that isn't unusual, because defensive coordinators are nearly always over-hyped and over-paid. They are the dumbest set of cabinet coaches; they are only as good as the athletes they are fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to have available as players. An $85k defensive coordinator is likely to be just as effective as an $840k defensive coordinator, although they may not be quite as pretty. T. Lee isn't the deal. Time to invest immediately in the next competitor at QB. Tommy Armstrong would have won this game today, and I was never a fan of Tommy Armstrong. Lee was half a step behind the action on the field, and he consistently overthrew his receivers. He also focused too narrowly on his favorite receiver. There were several opportunities to win today, and we would have with a good QB. We don't have one yet. The defense has hope. Good adjustments to the second half, but the physical skills on the field don't yet match the demands of a 3-5 defense. It might pan out as the season evolves, though. Although I mentioned that defensive coordinators like Diaco aren't worth what we spend on them, Diaco's not necessarily any dumber than any other DC. DEP is severly underutilized. Let's find a QB with an arm and put the ball into the hands of excellent receivers. I know that Husker fans love the glory days of running the ball up the gut, but that just doesn't produce enough points to win championships. It doesn't do any good to recruit great receivers when your QB can't connect with them. Again, T. Armstrong would have won the game today. That doesn't speak highly of T. Lee at all.

He was a redshirt freshman in 2014 and set Tulane freshman passing records. Impressive even if it was at Tulane. In 2015, he played with a broken finger in his throwing hand and also missed playing time due to a concussion. I don't think the numbers tell the whole story in his case. Did people give Tommie the "pass" when he played with multiple injuries....or when he was a sophomore starting? If are willing to give Lee the benefit, then we better make sure that when people complain about TA, we recognize he played less than 100% many times throughout his career. Tommy was never able to grasp the concept of the passing game. I thought this was widely known. I don't think injuries can explain the bizarre and disastrously unpredictable outcomes of his field decisions.

No matter what the discussion is about, the answer is probably "Tommy Armstrong."

Who are the guys who Banker has brought in to upgrade the D? Watch for them over the next couple of seasons. There was a lot more going on in terms of personnel this year than is readily apparent. There were some seniors playing that did more harm than good.

this.

It was entirely a personnel issue. Coaching was not the problem. Talent was the problem. Tennessee was simply much faster, stronger, and more motivated with their home crowd. Our seniors continued to be a disappointment, and the MSB was no exception.

This was completely and entirely Gerry's failure. Nobody else owns it. He abandoned his teammates because he didn't want to make the effort.

I want to add that Fyfe looked terrific. He didn't have much time in the pocket but I would have liked to have seen much more of him during the regular season, he seemed to be the smarter of the two QB's. Dang, though, that pass blocking was a real problem. Those guys weren't good at it, they were more suited to run blocking and couldn't seem to make the transition. Maybe next year, as new recruits to this system gain experience and numbers. I thought I saw that T.A. was suited up and looked ready to play. Was Ryker's starting role a coaching decision?

I thought I heard either on the radio or on the news that Nebraska was having some tough, spirited practices prior to the bowl. That made it seem like the team was into this game. Pelini players? Aren't they playing in a championship game next weekend? I don't follow the smaller college ranks, I suppose he might be doing okay at Mudville Flats U. On the other hand, he's also playing with the recruits of a former coach. Pelini's coaching problems were closely associated with his horrible recruiting results. Also, his obvious character deficits IMO.

This wasn't on Banker, NU is still trying to replenish a shelf left bare by the Pelini debacle and sifting out the old stuff. Defensive coaching can't make players faster or more talented. The DB's played soft because they couldn't match the speed of Vol receivers, and Gerry's total team abandonment hurt NU very badly. The remaining NU players did what they could given lack of depth and experience. Good players make coaches look good. We are still a ways from having a full, talented bench. This won't happen overnight.

I was at the game, and the Vols were definitely happy to be there. It was a home game for them, their seniors were cranked, and the Tennessee fans are vocal and enthusiastic. I think our whole problem was a distinct lack of veteran team leadership and the remaining Pelini players just didn't contribute noticeably.

Losing by 30 tonight was purely a product of bad coaching. THey did nothing to stem the tide with their offensive playcalling and our defensive scheme has always been flawed. It was just exposed tonight for the ridiculously vanilla, predictable system that it is. And you're nuts if you don't think championships aren't the goal, top to bottom. But guess what, championships are the goal top to bottom across college football. Bad coaching? I'm not sure that's the problem. It looked to me like the players were simply outperformed. Maybe they just aren't that good; certainly, there is no depth, and we have an incredibly bad offensive line. That could take a couple of more recruiting years to restock the shelves. This is a sketchy roster at best. I wonder how many former recruits simply left after the latest coaching change?

I, also, am unfamiliar with the term "rented quarterback." I can only assume it is a derogatory term for a JC transfer, or someone with only 1-2 years of eligibility.

Oh, you mean the new President who has already chosen women and minorities for his cabinet? There are other forums for low information voters to discuss politics. Let's keep this one about football. I'm sure that there will be an attempt by NU's coaching staff to reach out privately to get more info about this and it will be addressed. Rush Limbaugh devotee spotted

All I needed to know about our line was Sophmore Jerald Foster coming back from a knee injury 3 games ago and starting after a week of practice since spring. Our O-line could be 8th year seniors but they'll struggle to be starters next year. Good thing for graduation. I agree completely. The change of a coaching staff is always a tough thing for players that were recruited by the discredited staff. They feel like there's an asterisk after their name, and it crashes down on them when the going gets tough. It's not unusual, especially when you consider the circumstances of Pelini's departure. NU sucked tonight but this season is a vast improvement over last year, and I expect we'll continue to see good improvement in the years ahead. Think of how different this season would have been with a decent OL and even an average passing QB . . . Not true at all. Good coaches turn programs around very quickly. If we didn't have Tommy Armstrong, we would have lost 3 or 4 more games. I disagree. The best coaches in the world can't help players that aren't connected or lose confidence. The players should be mature enough to be responsible for their positions. The game of football is always about players, much more than about coaches. Coaches are just easier to blame.

All I needed to know about our line was Sophmore Jerald Foster coming back from a knee injury 3 games ago and starting after a week of practice since spring. Our O-line could be 8th year seniors but they'll struggle to be starters next year. Good thing for graduation. I agree completely. The change of a coaching staff is always a tough thing for players that were recruited by the discredited staff. They feel like there's an asterisk after their name, and it crashes down on them when the going gets tough. It's not unusual, especially when you consider the circumstances of Pelini's departure. NU sucked tonight but this season is a vast improvement over last year, and I expect we'll continue to see good improvement in the years ahead. Think of how different this season would have been with a decent OL and even an average passing QB . . .

senior spotted

Okay, I'm on board with the nascent Fire the Coach movement now. Let's fire all coaches, top to bottom, and hire a guy that yells really loud and blames the officials. Let's also fire the athletic director, his entire staff, and really the whole university board! Also, move the stadium to Kearney! Nothing less than all out, folks . . .